Today, we
live in what appears to be an instant world. Instant food, instant
communication; the only thing that’s not instant is our transportation, and
even then we’ve managed to speed it up in many ways and for many purposes,
though our freeways remain jam-packed at rush hour and stand completely still
any time a collision occurs. The Internet, it has been argued, has had many
benefits, but perhaps if we step back and examine the evidence to these “benefits,”
we will find that they are only beneficial in the context of a fast, instant
world wherein any task can be done instantaneously as long as it can be done
digitally. In fact, I would argue the Internet has done more harm than good,
for despite the speed with which processes can be completed, people feel more
like they have no time to do things—to create a coherent thought, to research a
point as completely as it can be researched—even to relax and take a break from
all the pressures that have resulted from the breakneck speed to which we have
developed. The more we connect in the virtual world, the more we demand
immediate results, the less we connect in real life and the more alienated we
feel from our peers.
Relationships
build over time. They are a natural process like the rest of life. The
Internet, in many ways, is destroying the very foundation of a relationship. No
longer do people take time to get to know one another. They group together
online and share things, but often times when someone shows a point of view
that disagrees with the group, the person holding the opposing position is ousted
from the group itself. The more connected we feel in the virtual, instant
world, the less connected we feel to and within real life. People don’t touch
each other as much anymore; their fingers are too busy swiping and tapping screens,
pressing keys, clicking mice; their eyes are too occupied by a screen; their
ears are so preoccupied with electronics that they fail to pick up sound waves
that emanate next to them from partners, family members, friends, colleagues,
etc.
Naturally,
one might ask me, “If that’s your argument, why do you use the Internet?” The
answer is simple: I grew up with its development. I began using computers in
2001, at the age of 9. I played the hell out of The Sims and I spent more time
online than I did talking to my family, every chance I got. Suddenly, the world
seems so much bigger for the addition of the World Wide Web, and so much
smaller when we remain rooted in reality. My experience in the military
expanded the world greatly for me, and also showed me that as big as it gets,
it is only so big. The thing is, I think that’s okay.
Our
population on this planet is such that there is no way any one person can meet
every single other person on the planet. Still, I think that our goal in life should
be to make connections, to communicate, to learn and grow from one another. Our
purpose should not be to drive a sales bargain, to find the bottom line of a
deal, to cheat and swindle our way to the top of an imaginary ladder or the
front of an imaginary race. The Internet has done me much good in my life, it
is true, but to connect this to what I said before, I would wager that the
benefits I have experienced have been a direct result of the desire in our
society for immediate results. Research papers are due in just enough time to
find as many sources as possible, and most of those sources today come from the
Internet rather than a library. Printed books are going out of style in favour of
digital copies that can instantly be downloaded, eliminating the need for
people to get out in public and interact with other bookworms in shops, or
shopkeepers themselves.
Pokémon GO
was the best technological advancement in gaming since Ingress. It got more
people outside than did Ingress, and even now, as it continues to update,
people can come together within the game, make friends, and trade Pokémon.
These are new developments and while I can talk all day long against
technology, I can also talk all day long in support of it, because this kind of
development is just what we need to get people outside and interacting with one
another in real life again. Further advancements must be made, however. We
cannot allow ourselves to be limited to these games to explore the outside
world and meet people face-to-face. The problem still exists that everything in
this world today is moving too fast.
People
today are literally working themselves to death. This phenomenon has been
reported by Forbes in this article,
and Time covered it in their own article.
It seems that overwork is most common in Japan, but I wouldn’t be surprised if
some of the cardiology-related deaths in America are caused by the stresses of
overworking.
